Boy, I was humbled by all the kind responses after my last column about flying and getting the flu. I am 100 percent better and it is great to feel healthy! What I want to talk about is that many people told me they don’t want to fly anymore because of what happened to me.

Don’t get me wrong, flying is not as easy as it used to be before the pandemic. Maybe not enough staff, planes or both, but the fact of the matter is, if I don’t fly it’s very expensive and takes a long time by boat for me to get to see my family. So do not withhold yourself from flying because you might get something on the plane. Granted, if you have a compromised immune system and you can travel by car, that might be the way to go. But you can also be more vigilant to protect yourself when flying. When traveling by plane, make sure you are up to date on your vaccinations. Get a booster when needed. Try to be rested up before you start your travels. I know I wore myself down even before I left just to get everything covered to be gone almost three weeks.

It’s not mandatory anymore, but for extra protection wear a medical-grade mask. (I did not at all). On shorter flights keep your mask on at all times, on long flights make sure you hydrate. A straw from the bottom of the mask works best, keeping the mask over your nose and mouth. When getting ready to board the plane, stay away from the massive crowds. I put myself at risk waiting a long time with all the travelers to board the plane. Being at your gate, they will not leave you behind, so try to wait until it’s not so busy to board the plane. It states in some research that sitting at the window with the air cranked up puts you at lesser risk. The reason is that many people walk through the isle, including staff. I know in my case, unless you pay for that specific seat, they will stick you wherever. I paid extra for a seat and on the way to Europe, they had to make changes and I ended up in the middle, in a middle seat. On the way back I got the seat I paid for.

I know my immune system was compromised, I just didn’t realize how much. Not having my tonsils due to tonsil cancer is one reason. The tonsils can “catch” a lot of crap and before my surgery I was rarely sick. Since my surgery (October 2021), I have gotten the stomach flu, a bad case of bronchitis and influenza A. And yes, age does have something to do with it too!

So don’t keep yourself from flying, especially when you must fly to see your family. Prepare yourself better and know that any time you are in crowds you put yourself at a higher risk. But I also believe that we must challenge our immune system to make our body work to stay healthy. As we have seen in the last few years, more and more people have gotten sick because we were abstinent for a long time and our immune systems got “lazy.”

I will be better prepared the next time I fly, even take extra vitamins to boost my immune system and most likely wear a medical-grade mask when in big crowds. Flying is a quicker way to cover many miles and with proper preparation and extra protection, flying can be a safe way to travel.

Ester H. Marsh is director of healthy living at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.